Frank Benjamin Havens (August 1, 1924 – July 22, 2018) was an American sprint canoeist who competed from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. He was born in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

. Competing in four

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, he won two medals in the C-1 10000 m event with a silver in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

and a gold in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. In Havens' first shot in the 1948 Olympic games, he finished second to Capek by 35.4 seconds in a canoe he borrowed from the Czechs. In 1952 his world record was set in a canoe he and his brother, Bill, imported from Sweden for about $160. He is, as of 2022, the only American Olympic gold medal winner in a singles canoeing event. He was a member of the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

and an American Canoe Associatio
Legend
of Paddling. He died in July 2018 at the age of 93.

References

1924 births 2018 deaths American male canoeists People from Arlington County, Virginia Canoeists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in canoeing Olympic silver medalists for the United States in canoeing {{US-Olympic-medalist-stub